Participation of the Region of Western Greece in an innovation workshop of the Ministry of the Interior

Innovation Marathons (Hackathons) as a tool of the Local Government innovation ecosystem, as well as improving the capacity of public bodies in the design of innovation proposals for the National Action Plan for Innovation in the Public Sector were the subject of the workshop organized on the 18th & 19th April 2024, in Heraklion, Crete, under the co-organization of the Department of Innovation and Best Practices of the Ministry of the Interior, the Institute for Documentation of Research and Innovations (ITEK) of EKDDA and the Region of Crete.

In addition to highlighting the contribution of Hackathons to the development of a culture of innovation in local government, good practices in local government were presented (Hackathon Region of Crete) and training was given in innovative approaches and tools for the promotion of innovation projects.
Topics such as:
– The institution of Hackathons to detect challenges and search for innovative ideas
– The Innovation Marathon process. The obstacles and challenges
– Necessary resources for the success of an Innovation Marathon.
– Added Value of Innovation Marathons
– HR Skills for Innovation and requirements of an Innovation Marathon
– Strategic and operational adoption of Innovation Marathons
This was followed by an open consultation of the participants using the SWOTAnalysis methodology on the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in the implementation of Innovation Marathons in the Public sector.
From this collaboration of the experts of the public administration, the university community and the domestic innovation community who took part, the goal was to contribute to the development of a “Guide for the Organization and Adoption of Innovation Marathons” that will contribute to the establishment of the Hackathon tool in the Public sector, as and in the funding of the National Innovation Action Plan (NIAP) in accordance with Law 5027/2023 (48 A΄ /2023).
In the Workshop, on behalf of the Region of Western Greece, the officials of the Directorate of Development Planning Sofia Karveli (Coordinator of the Sector “Tourism – Culture – Creative Industry” & member of the Competent Regional Body of RIS3 Western Greece) and Ioanna Hamakioti (Coordinator of the Sector “Environment – Circular Economy”).
The General Secretary of Public Administration of the Ministry of Public Administration, Dimitris Kirmikiroglou, participated in the work of the Workshop, noting that the Innovation Workshop organized by the Ministry of Interior in Crete marks the implementation of the Ministry’s plan for the integration of innovative approaches in public administration, the promotion of the civil servant as the most valuable resource for the production of innovation, but also the need to integrate innovation into the daily work of employees as a necessary mechanism for the continuous improvement of the public sector and the provision of better and modern services for the benefit of citizens.
The present was also greeted by the Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnautakis and the Secretary of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, Maria Kozyraki.